Chub - too much of a good thing?

                                                  Loads of chub here on the Teme

I decided on a trip to the Teme for the afternoon and evening, thought about the maggots for bait, but decided on pellets.  I've been having considerable success with small pellets on the hair-rig used in combination with an open-ended feeder loaded with mixed pellet just dampened with hemp.  You do not need extra fluid as the hemp leaks into the pellets and you get the required mix no problem.  Too damp and you end up with a stodge, with leak away in the flow but I do not think it will be as effective.  you can always add a little damp but once in the mix it is difficult to get it right if you added too much.

It was quite hot, and I was grateful for the shade of the overhanging tree as the afternoon past, but I did not get a chance to relax in the shade.  My first fish was a barbel of about 5lb and I thought "well at least I will not blank" but that was not going to be a problem.  Over the next several hours I was landing fish with pleasing regularity - chub mostly, but enough barbel to make the day a good session.

                                                         One of the better chub caught.
That said, you can have too much of a good thing, and by the time I was landing my twentieth chub I was getting a little fed up with them.  The problem for me is that I fish for big fish of the different species.  Quite pleased to catch smaller specimens on the way to a 'biggie' but that is the aim.   On the Teme the chub run between 1lb and 5lb with that bigger size quite rare, not what I'm after, and I feel they are reducing my chance of the big barbel.   Far better if I can cast out the bait and leave it in place for the cautious specimen barbel to make up his mind to take it.

In actual fact I did finish with 6 barbel, with a couple over 7lb, and one over 8lb, so not too bad.  What was very noticable was that all the chub came on one rod, all the barbel came on the other, the same tackle and bait but cast to different spots in the swim.  Makes you think, if you are only using one rod move it about to try and find the golden spot in the swim, catching a chub just might mean you have got it wrong if barbel are your target!

                                             8lb + Teme beauty, bit of concentration there.